Spiritual Forum

A study has revealed that tap water in countries around the globe contains plastic fibres.

Scientists are now calling for urgent research to be made into the implications it is having on health.

83% Of Samples Contaminated With Plastic Fibres

Samples of tap water from over one dozen nations have been analyzed by scientists, and the findings have been shared. It was revealed that 83% of the samples looked at had been contaminated with plastic fibers. The highest contamination rate had been found in the United States at 94%, and this included samples that had been taken from sites including the Trump Tower in New York and the headquarters of the US Environmental Protection Agency. India and Lebanon came in next with the highest rates of contamination.

In Europe the UK, France and Germany had the lowest of the contamination rates, however, this still came in at 72%. The average number of fibres that were found in the 500ml samples were said to range from 4.8% in the United States to 1.9% in Europe.

The analyses revealed the huge extent of microplastic contamination within the global environment. Work in the past had been focused on pollution by plastic in the oceans, and this indicated that people may have digested plastics when they ate seafood. An expert in microplastic at the State University of New York, Dr. Sherri Mason, said that they had enough data from studying wildlife to know the impact plastic in the seas was having on them. She went on to say that if it was impacting wildlife, then you have to wonder how it affects people.

Contamination Found In Wells In Republic Of Ireland

Another study in the Republic of Ireland that was launched in June found contamination of plastic in well and tap water samples. Dr. Anne Marie Mahon said that they did not know what health impact it was having on people and precautionary principles should be followed to find out. The concerns were of the chemicals and pathogens that microplastic could harbor. She said that if fibers are there it is also possible that nanoparticles could be there too and this was something that they could not measure. When they are in the nanometer range, it means they can penetrate cells and organs. The recent study of tap water around the globe caught particles of over 2.5 microns in size; these are 2,500 times the size of the nanometer.

Microplastic is said to attract bacteria that is found in sewage and Mahon said that studies had revealed that there are pathogens that are more harmful on micro plastic that are downstream of wastewater treatment plants.

Microplastics Absorb Toxic Chemicals That Are Released Into Body

Microplastic can absorb chemicals that are toxic, and they can be released into the body suggest research undertaken on wild animals. Professor Richard Thompson from the Plymouth University in the UK said that it became very clear that plastic releases chemicals and the conditions of the gut would help to ensure a rapid release. He conducted research that showed that microplastics had been found in almost one-third of fish caught in the United Kingdom.

It is only now that the scale of contamination around the world is becoming clear. Studies conducted in Germany showed that fibers and fragments were in 24 beer brands that had been tested along with being found in sugar and honey. In 2015 in Paris, researchers found microplastic falling out of the air. They reached the conclusion that about three to 10 tonnes of fibers are deposited on the city every year and that fibers were present in the homes of people.

Ingesting Plastic Could Be Major Health Risk

A professor of environmental health at Kings College London said that if people could breathe them in they could deliver chemicals to the lower portion of the lung and they could even enter into circulation. He said that research is needed to determine whether or not ingesting plastic is a risk to the health.

The new study has tested 159 samples by using a technique that is standard to eliminate any contamination coming from other sources. The samples came from over the world, and they included Uganda, Ecuador, and Indonesia. Just how micro plastic has ended up in the drinking water is something of a mystery; however, the atmosphere is one obvious source with fibers coming from everyday wear and tear of clothing along with carpets. It is also thought that tumble dryers could be a potential source as 80% of households in the US have dryers that have a vent leading to outside.

Washing Machines Flush 700,000 Fibres Into Environment

It is also thought that plastic fibres could be flushed into the water system with every cycle of a washing machine releasing 700,000 fibres into the environment. In Lebanon where water supplies to homes come from natural springs, 94% of samples were found to be contaminated.

Mahon said that the standard water treatment systems that are currently used do not filter micro plastics. The studies revealed that drinking bottled water might not be an alternative to tap water as fibres were also found in some samples of bottled water in the US.